Colma/Kollmann

The village on the emperor road „Kaiserstraße“

The Valle Isarco/Eisacktal was a significant place of transit thanks to the development of Colma/Kollmann, a hamlet of Barbian, located on the right bank of the Isarco/Eisackt river. Already in Roman times (15 B.C - 476 A.D.), there should have been a settlement there, called "Sublavio". Precious findings on the Roman where discovered in 1927 during the construction of the hydroelectric reservoir. Colma was also the starting point of the so-called emperor road “Kaiserstraße”, given the impassability of the Isarco gorge between Colma and Cardano/Kardaun. This road led up to Renon/Ritten and on to Bolzano/Bozen. Numerous travelers and over 60 imperial convoys chose this strenuous climb up to "Rotwand", Longostagno/Lengstein and Longomoso/Lengmoos during their coronation journey to Rome and also on their return.

In the same context, one might consider the former name of Colma. By 1217 this area was in fact called "Rittenfuoz". The denomination "Colman" ("…Rittenfuoss built by Kolman…") emerged around 1355, and the sir’s name was probably used to name the whole settlement.

In 1314 the merchant Heinrich Kunter of Bolzano built a path through the Isarco/Eisack gorge, the so-called "Kuntersweg" (via Kunter), which by 1480 was expanded into a smooth roadway. In 1483 Archduke Sigismund of Austria built a customs post, which was called "Friedburg" since 1850. Today it is privately owned and is run as guesthouse and Pizzeria. The customs post was closed in 1829.

Colma was mentioned by many famous personalities in their travelogues, not least by the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his “Italian Journey”.

Visit also the church Leonhardskirche and the Trinity Church, which was formerly known as customs chapel.